Ferrari launch new blue Alonso T-shirt(GMM) Even with Fernando Alonso-mania in full swing, the grandstands at Circuit de Catalunya this weekend will remain a sea of blue.

At the height of the Spaniard's title-winning run last decade, his supporters wore the light blue of his home region Asturias -- which was a perfect match for the Mild Seven-blue of the Renault car.

But now that he has switched to Ferrari, the grandstands are set to remain blue in 2010, due to the newly-launched Ferrari T-shirt that is not scarlet red.

"I'm sure they will come with their blue flags and blue colors, plus the new Ferrari T-shirt that is blue," 28-year-old Alonso said in Barcelona.

On one sleeve of the new blue T-shirt is the yellow cross of Asturias, combined with the Prancing Horse and Alonso signature on the front.

'Angry' Schu not swayed by comeback critics(GMM) Michael Schumacher insists he is not motivated to succeed in formula one by the approval of pundits and headline-writers.

The German admits he was "very angry" at himself after the recent Chinese grand prix, when he was notably off the pace of his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

He has a heavily revised car for the fifth race of his 2010 comeback, but rejects the analysis that how he performs in Spain this weekend could paint the writing on the wall.

"Some like to see it as 'now I have the car, now I have to perform, and if not then blah, blah, blah'. I'm less thinking this way."

Schumacher, 41, believes Shanghai was a blip on his trajectory of improvement this season, and is not swayed by those who think he will soon tire of his new F1 foray.

"The main reason I'm coming back is not to have a nice story in the media or be criticized in the media -- I'm coming back because I enjoy driving and that's what I'm here for," he told reporters in Barcelona.

"Naturally the joy is higher if you win races, and in China I was very disappointed and I was very angry at myself, but you say 'things will be different'."

Epsilon aims to prove financial backing to FIA(GMM) Epsilon Euskadi's next step towards the formula one grid is to prove its ability to contest more than just a single season.

The fact that FIA president Jean Todt, and not a delegation of more junior officials, intended to visit the hopeful outfit's base earlier this week is a sign that the team is favored to win the 13th place on the 2011 grid.

It is believed Todt is already convinced of the team's technical abilities to organize a credible F1 team, but the FIA is also keen to ensure that new competitors are financially capable.

"We are working to find the necessary finances," team boss Joan Villadelprat is quoted as saying by France's Auto Hebdo.

"We have the budget for 2011 but not thereafter," he added in the Barcelona paddock. "However, a new team needs at least four seasons to be competitive.

"I intend to prove to the FIA that we have a strong economic foundation that would allow us to stay in F1 for consecutive years," he added.

Chandhok has stomach bug in Spain(GMM) Karun Chandhok is perhaps not too upset about sitting out Friday morning's initial practice session at Barcelona.

The Indian rookie's cockpit will be occupied by Christian Klien for the 90 minute session as HRT looks to benefit from the input of a more experienced driver.

But Chandhok might not be too upset about the decision after feeling ill for the past few days.

He explained on Wednesday that he spent "most of the day" in his Spanish hotel with a stomach bug.

And after spending Thursday at the Circuit de Catalunya on Thursday, he added via his Twitter account: "Feeling a bit better now so (teammate Bruno Senna) thinks I should attempt a real meal for dinner.

"Hmmm, well, I do have the morning off to recover!" Chandhok joked.

It rained overnight in Barcelona, and Friday morning was chilly and overcast.

Sauber cars to feature Burger King logos in Spain(GMM) The logo of the famous family restaurant Burger King will appear on Sauber's white livery this weekend in Spain.

The two-race deal, to be completed at the country's other formula one race at Valencia late next month, is with the American giant's Spanish arm Burger King Iberia.

"In formula one, the vast restaurant chain sector has hardly been tapped," said Peter Sauber in a statement, in which a Burger King official said the presence of Spanish driver Pedro de la Rosa is "important".

The distinctive red, yellow and blue logo will appear on the side and nose of the C29 monocoque.

Chandhok 'amazed' as Klien faster than Senna(GMM) Karun Chandhok will have to admit to being "amazed" after sitting out the morning practice session in Barcelona.

To both his and teammate Bruno Senna's chagrin in Spain, the Indian rookie's HRT car was occupied instead by new test and reserve driver Christian Klien.

Austrian Klien's 26 laps were the first at a grand prix weekend since he practiced in a Honda in 2007, but he has been brought in by team boss Colin Kolles for his experience of 48 grands prix and three subsequent years of testing.

Before the morning session, Chandhok was quoted as saying by the BBC: "I'll be amazed if he goes half a second quicker than Bruno; I highly doubt it."

However, Klien was in fact exactly half a second quicker than Brazilian rookie Senna, cutting the deficit to F1's other new teams to just five tenths.

Chandhok said: "Christian has got good experience of some good teams so he could bring something.

"The team is a little bit behind the game, so any information we can get from other people is useful. It's frustrating for me, I want to drive the car as much as possible."

Copyright 1999-2016 | AutoRacing1 is an
independent internet online publication and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by IndyCar, NASCAR, FIA, Sprint, or any other series sponsor.
This material may not be published, broadcast, or redistributed without
permission.